Giardia with NO symptoms

Uhrich5 · Jun 3, 2018

Hello,
We recently added our first frenchie to our family and she has tested positive for giardia since we brought her home, however, she doesn't have any symptoms.

We brought Indi home at 10 weeks old and when we picked her up the breeder said one of the other puppies was positive for coccidia and giardia, so all the puppies were being treated. She sent me home with the last dose of Albon, which was the 10th dose. After, the fecal test, she was still positive for giardia, but the coccidia was gone. Indi was started on another 10 days of Panacur and 5 days of Albon. She continues to have cysts on the Elisa test. We did another round of Panacur and Flagyl and the fecal test still shows cysts. Our vet decided even though, Indi and my two hairless cats are all symptom free, it would be best to treat all of them in case they are re-infecting each other. We just completed 5 days of Flagyl on Indi and my cats. Its time for another fecal test, however, I feel like I need to get some advice on what to do if it comes back positive again. We have battled this giardia for 10 weeks now and the only time Indi has had diarrhea is when she takes all these meds and the meds cause her to lose her appetite as well. At this point, she is happy and appears so healthy and has normal poops, so I am hesitant to keep doing weekly meds for giardia :-( I have read about the long term problems giardia can cause, so I need advice on where to go from here. Continue to treat Indi or wait it out a few months and see if it resolves on its own? I did contact Indi's breeder for advice and was told she would not treat a puppy with no symptoms, however, my vet feels its important to treat her as long as she has cysts on the Elisa test. I appreciate everyone's time and advice

Honeys Owners · Jun 4, 2018

Your vet should only be using elisa test initially, after treatment should not be using this test for at least 6 months.
From mercola website:https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/03/19/giardia-infection-on-pets.aspx
ELISA tests can show positive for giardia for up to 6 months after treatment because it can take that long for the antigens to be cleared from the animal's bloodstream, so I don't recommend them for immediate post-treatment follow-up to insure the infection is cleared.

Following up treatment with a few fecal floats will provide the best information about whether the infection is completely resolved. Remember giardia cysts aren't passed in every single stool sample, which is why multiple fecal float tests are necessary to insure the infection is completely resolved.

GraciesMom · Jun 4, 2018

I can sympathize. Gracie arrived home infected with both giardia and coccidia.We didn't know until we took her to the vet 3 days later. She did not have diarrhea per se, but had frequent soft stools, about 9 or 10 per day. I am not surprised the Albon did not resolve Indi's giardia as that is the treatment for coccidia, not giardia. Gracie responded well to the Albon and the coccidia resolved after the first course of treatment. The giardia hung around for three months, resisting two rounds of flagyl. Finally, a third round of flagyl coupled with panacur did the job. Up to round three, cysts were showing up in her fecal float test. The final two float tests showed no cysts and we are waiting six months to repeat the Elisa test to see if she is clear of antigens. Giardia can be remarkably resistant and your experience is not uncommon. Honey's Owner gave you good advice -- have the vet perform a few fecal float tests, especially if Indi remains asymptomatic. Do the Elisa later. The drugs can have consequences too. Gracie developed liver damage. She had multiple issues with multiple drugs, some simultaneously, so I can't definitively say it was flagyl that caused it but she was on it three times. Fortunately, the liver issue resolved once she was off the drugs.

2bullymama · Jun 4, 2018

Honeys Owners said:
Your vet should only be using elisa test initially, after treatment should not be using this test for at least 6 months.
From mercola website:https://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2012/03/19/giardia-infection-on-pets.aspx
ELISA tests can show positive for giardia for up to 6 months after treatment because it can take that long for the antigens to be cleared from the animal's bloodstream, so I don't recommend them for immediate post-treatment follow-up to insure the infection is cleared.

Following up treatment with a few fecal floats will provide the best information about whether the infection is completely resolved. Remember giardia cysts aren't passed in every single stool sample, which is why multiple fecal float tests are necessary to insure the infection is completely resolved.

:up:

Uhrich5 · Jun 12, 2018

Update....
I spoke with my vet about the exact test he is using and he said the fecal float test. Last week, after all these treatments, it came back positive again, but less cysts this time than the last test. At this point, the vet wants to not treat Indi since she is asymptomatic. He said to let her be until the giardia causes symptoms and we will recheck the fecal float test in 6 months. Thoughts on not continuing to treat the giardia and waiting to see if it will cause symptoms? I am giving her goats milk as a probiotic twice a day. Any other suggestions on what I could give to help get rid of this giardia? Thank You!

Honeys Owners · Jun 13, 2018

Might be worth trying Fenbendazole (50 mg/kg/day for 5–10 days) in all your animals for one or two more rounds, and really good cleaning of your household. It's normal when dogs or cats have giardia or other worms to have to treat for multiple months. Some vets treat worms for months, THEN test the animals, because they know that it's normal to take that long for worms to clear.

Another drug used in dogs in Drontal plus daily for 3 days, if you want an alternative,but I don't think it's more effective than Fenbendazole.

2bullymama · Jun 13, 2018

Uhrich5 said:
Update....
I spoke with my vet about the exact test he is using and he said the fecal float test. Last week, after all these treatments, it came back positive again, but less cysts this time than the last test. At this point, the vet wants to not treat Indi since she is asymptomatic. He said to let her be until the giardia causes symptoms and we will recheck the fecal float test in 6 months. Thoughts on not continuing to treat the giardia and waiting to see if it will cause symptoms? I am giving her goats milk as a probiotic twice a day. Any other suggestions on what I could give to help get rid of this giardia? Thank You!

I tagged a member (Blushy) that went through this with her baby... it was MONTHS before he was clear.

Uhrich5 · Jun 13, 2018

I appreciate it. I am so torn between continuing to treat Indi and just waiting 6 months to see if it clears up on it's own. The vet said sometimes as they become adults and have a better immune system, they can fight the giardia on their own. I am just worried about long term effects that giardia can have on the intestines if left untreated. The frustrating part is Indi gets diarrhea only when she is on the medications and suffers from a loss of appetite, but as soon as we stop the medications, she goes back to being normal.

Frenchie Grrrl · Jun 13, 2018

I understand your hesitancy. I think I would look into some natural dewormers. Especially, since there are no symptoms. I've never dealt with giardia, though.

Honeys Owners · Jun 13, 2018

Uhrich5 said:
I appreciate it. I am so torn between continuing to treat Indi and just waiting 6 months to see if it clears up on it's own. The vet said sometimes as they become adults and have a better immune system, they can fight the giardia on their own. I am just worried about long term effects that giardia can have on the intestines if left untreated. The frustrating part is Indi gets diarrhea only when she is on the medications and suffers from a loss of appetite, but as soon as we stop the medications, she goes back to being normal.

Have you tried panacur alone? Should have less side effects than the metronidazole, I gave my dog panacur for a few days each month for 4 months with no side effects.

Uhrich5 · Jun 13, 2018

I like the idea of looking into some natural dewormers and I will do some research on that. Indi has had 2 rounds of prescription Panacur and I have also given her 1 round of Panacur that I bought from Pet-smart. She did not seem to have any side effects with the Panacur alone, it was more when we did the combo Panacur and metronidazole that she had the side effects.

Frenchie Grrrl · Jun 14, 2018

Uhrich5 said:
I like the idea of looking into some natural dewormers and I will do some research on that. Indi has had 2 rounds of prescription Panacur and I have also given her 1 round of Panacur that I bought from Pet-smart. She did not seem to have any side effects with the Panacur alone, it was more when we did the combo Panacur and metronidazole that she had the side effects.

You might want to read up on Grapefruit Seed Extract (GSE) because, if you get the liquid drops, it's also easily diluted in water and put in a spray bottle to disinfect your home. I actually just purchased some to use as a natural disinfectant for food bowls and counters, as I feed raw, but it hasn't arrived yet.

Cbrugs · Jun 14, 2018

Jax has had giardia twice and Louie once and each time they got a 7 day treatment of Panacur and after treatment was completed, tests were negative. No issues with side effects.

blushy · Jun 19, 2018

Apparently i never saw this tag! D;

When Titan had Giardia it took 7 months of intense treatment. Fecal tests every round of meds/month til a negative test.

We tried Panacur. He wouldn’t take it. It was atrocious and we had to get it custom ordered for him since he was so tiny and it had adverse affects on him since his diarrhea was already so severe... ended up doing the antibiotic and probiotic packets as well as another probiotic that also stops diarrhea so he could not use the bathroom every 15/20 minutes.

His digestive tract did suffer from all the medicine, but it’s better than having a parasite. We didn’t stop treatment until it was a negative test. He’s had 2 fecal tests since then. Both negative but they were because he ended up with diarrhea symptoms similar to when he had the parasite and we didn’t want to let any slip under our radar since his infestation was so severe.

Everywhere i see people treating it like it’s not a big deal, but it can actually turn into a pretty big issue. 6 months when your dog clearly had a positive test is a bit long IMO. But that’s for you and your vet to butt heads on. Mine went full throttle but Titan was 3.3 lbs and dropped to 2.3 lbs from the malnutrition the parasite was causing.

I pretty much just washed stuff on “super hot” settings that he care in contact with and bleached my floors daily. He was walked in a separate area than my other dog and she never got it. He still goes there to go potty now because it’s habit and he was trained to go there, and I’ve had no recurrences or issues at all.

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Uhrich5 · Jun 19, 2018

After all of the advice about the Giardia, we will continue to treat Indi, until she beats this Giardia. We sure don't want any long lasting worse problems with the intestinal tract from the parasite. I am hopeful that eventually, one of these treatments will kill the Giardia... it just may take longer than we had expected it would take! I am thankful that while we treat her, she continues to be symptom free, so fingers crossed she stays that way. I appreciate the advice and help with this issue. Comforting to know others have been in this situation as well.

2bullymama · Jun 20, 2018

blushy said:
Apparently i never saw this tag! D;

When Titan had Giardia it took 7 months of intense treatment. Fecal tests every round of meds/month til a negative test.

We tried Panacur. He wouldn’t take it. It was atrocious and we had to get it custom ordered for him since he was so tiny and it had adverse affects on him since his diarrhea was already so severe... ended up doing the antibiotic and probiotic packets as well as another probiotic that also stops diarrhea so he could not use the bathroom every 15/20 minutes.

His digestive tract did suffer from all the medicine, but it’s better than having a parasite. We didn’t stop treatment until it was a negative test. He’s had 2 fecal tests since then. Both negative but they were because he ended up with diarrhea symptoms similar to when he had the parasite and we didn’t want to let any slip under our radar since his infestation was so severe.

Everywhere i see people treating it like it’s not a big deal, but it can actually turn into a pretty big issue. 6 months when your dog clearly had a positive test is a bit long IMO. But that’s for you and your vet to butt heads on. Mine went full throttle but Titan was 3.3 lbs and dropped to 2.3 lbs from the malnutrition the parasite was causing.

I pretty much just washed stuff on “super hot” settings that he care in contact with and bleached my floors daily. He was walked in a separate area than my other dog and she never got it. He still goes there to go potty now because it’s habit and he was trained to go there, and I’ve had no recurrences or issues at all.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk